You might not realise it, but you can tell a lot about someone from their fingernails. Bitten or distended nails are often seen as a sign of nervousness or low confidence, whereas someone with perfectly manicured nails can seem a bit vain. It’s not just on a superficial level either, the condition of a person’s nails can give clues about their overall health and nail problems can be the first sign of more serious health problems. But it’s not just about what everyone else thinks. We all get an extra boost of confidence from going out with a perfect set of nails. So here are a few tips to keep your nails looking their best.
Firstly and most importantly, don’t let your nails dry out. Always moisturise your hands after you wash them and regularly throughout the day as required. This will help your nails and cuticles to retain their moisture and prevent them from breaking or peeling. Moisturisers like those by Aesop are a good choice as they last all day and work well with your skin. Don’t cut your cuticles, instead carefully push them back when they are soft, for example after a bath or shower. If you are still encourtering problems with dry skin I would recommend using Eve Lom as their creams are extremely good!
If you do have dry, brittle nails or get hangnails, it could be because of a problem with your diet. Calcium deficiency can cause breaking or peeling, and white spots are often caused by not getting enough iron. All these things can be easily remedied by eating a balanced diet. Manual work, housework and washing up can seriously damage your nails so wear gloves especially where washing up liquid is involved, and always moisturise when you’re finished.
Nail polish looks great but can really damage the nails if used all the time. Only paint your nails when you’re going out and want to look your best, there’s really no point going to all that effort if you’re only going to work where they will just get chipped anyway. When you do paint your nails, always use a base coat to prevent the colour from staining your nails. OPI is a good place to start for a great range of colours that are long lasting, and they do base coats and nail treatments too. When you take off your nail polish use as little remover as possible and, yes that’s right, wash and moisturise your hands straight afterwards to prevent your nails from drying out.
